1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to the manufacture of lace and more particularly to the embroidering of one layer on top of another in order to form lace.
1. Prior Art
Embroidery and lace are well known. Embroidery is the ornamentation of fabric with needlework having fanciful details. On the other hand, lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread having an open web-like pattern. Typically, the term embroidered lace is used to indicate a delicate-type fabric having open web-like fine detailed patterns.
Traditionally, lace was hand-sewn due to its delicate nature and was hence more expensive to manufacture and use than embroidery.
In U.S. Pat. No. 315,589, "Lace and the Art of Making the Same", (1885) to Wuillemin, a thread is embroidered onto a dissoluble background. Figures are embroidered adjacent each other and are connected to each other by understitching.
U.S. Pat. No. 322,582, "Imitation Bead Embroidery", (1885) to Cornely describes the concept of forming an outline of a design by using a "shiny material" such as leather, metal and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 358,156, "Foundation For Embroidered Lace", (1887) to Juncker improves upon the manufacture of lace by utilizing a soluble background made of India rubber, gutta-percha or gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,365,315, "Manufacture of Fabric", (1944) to Williams describes producing a lace fabric by stitching the fabric on a support or base material comprised essentially of a soluble polyvinyl alcohol film.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,872, "Textured Embroidered Fabric", (1973) to Krieger, describes a type of double-embroidery wherein a face yarn is stitched to a non-soluble ground fabric. The face yarn ends are secured by soluble bobbin yarn while a second face yarn is stitched over a part of the first face yarn. The ends of the second yarn are secured by an insoluble bobbin yarn. Therefore, when the soluble bobbin yarn is dissolved, the partial overlay of the second over the first face yarn holds the first yarn in place with the result that the embroidered pattern has a "textured" or of quilted appearance. The use of a non-soluble ground fabric is important in order for one to obtain this "textured" or quilted look. However, it is evident that the base material could not be dissolved since it is necessary to hold the entire object together.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,922, "Adhesively Applied Schiffli Embroidery", (1988) to Clarius teaches the use of heat sealing an embroidered design to another article.
These and numerous other ideas have helped promote the use of embroidered designs and lace resulting in low-priced items which include lace.
Heretofore Applicant knows of no efforts made in double embroidery lace. That is, the embroidery of one yarn over another embroidered yarn all on a background fabric.